Kerala to get eight new trains, two world class stations

Kerala got a fair share of the budgetary proposals of Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee tabled in parliament Friday.

The small southern state which had long complained of being "neglected" by successive railways ministers got eight new trains, two new railway lines and a railway medical college. Besides, two of its stations would be developed as world class stations.

Among the eight new trains is a weekly non-stop train from Kochi to Delhi.

The Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi stations were listed among the 50 in major cities that would be turned into world class ones.

Likewise, two commercial complexes will be developed in Palakkad and Ernakulam.

Banerjee has also proposed to upgrade the railway hospital here into a medical college and setting up a new nursing college at Kollam.

Minister of State for Railways E. Ahamed is an Indian Union Muslim League MP from the Malappuram constituency in the state.

However, reacting to the budget, Kerala Ports Minister M. Vijayakumar said the budget had not said anything about setting up a railway zone in the state as demanded by the government.

"A zone for Kerala has been a long standing demand from the state and this time also it is not there. It is through the zones that the budget allocation is being given. Kerala has two divisions, but no zone. No money comes through these divisions," Vijayakumar said.

Last updated on Jul 3^rd, 2009 at 18:40 pm IST--IANS